Sam Vesty
 | |||
| Full name | Samuel Brook Vesty | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 November 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 ins (1.83 m) | ||
| Weight | 14 st 8 lb (92 Kg) | ||
| School | John Cleveland College | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Fly-half, Centre, Fullback | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2002–2010 2010–2013 |
Leicester Tigers Bath Rugby |
157 64 |
(241) (121) |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2009 | England | 2 | (0) |
Samuel Brook Vesty (born 26 November 1981) is an English rugby union footballer who plays utility back (though his preferred position is full back) for Bath Rugby.
Vesty is the fourth generation of his family to play for the Tigers.[1] His father Phil Vesty made 47 first-team appearances for Leicester as a prop between 1971–1976, his paternal grandfather Albert (Bernard) Vesty made one appearance for Leicester on the wing in the last game of the 1946/47 season, and a great-grandfather, Jack Dickens, a centre-cum-wing, made 15 first-team appearances for Tigers in the 1909–1910 season. Vesty is an all-round sportsman, having played as a wicket-keeper/batsman for Leicestershire C.C.C.'s 2nd XI before having to give up cricket to focus on his rugby.[2] He has also played tennis to county level.
He attended John Cleveland College, and played in a rock band with other Tigers players Dan Hipkiss, Aaron Mauger and George Chuter called Slo Progress before moving club to Bath, where he still plays music with club colleagues in the music room at Farleigh House.[3]
Rugby career
Vesty came through the Tigers academy, making his first team début in 2002 Biarritz in the Orange cup.[1]
Vesty can play full back, fly-half or centre. He has also played one game the wing, though his lack of pace proved problematic. His strengths lie in the fact that he is an all-round footballer, with good ball handling and kicking skills.
Initially Vesty played as a fly-half after Andy Goode moved to Saracens, but he was young, inexperienced and at 12 stone had not properly bulked out (he is now 14 stone). He played in other backs positions and was voted the members player of the year for the 2005/06 season.[1]
He did not feature much in the early part of the 2008/09 season and had been considering leaving Leicester to get game time when circumstances changed in February 2009.[2][4] With Toby Flood with the England squad and Derick Hougaard injured, Vesty was brought back to play at fly-half. This coincided with a change in fortune for Leicester who started rising up the Guinness Premiership table. Vesty remained in the team either at fly-half or inside centre for the rest of the season.
In April 2010 it was announced Vesty would be joining Bath Rugby on a 3-year contract at the end of the season.[5]
Vesty was rewarded for his good end to season with a call up to the full England squad for the summer tour against Argentina.[1][6] He made his début off the bench against Argentina in Old Trafford in June 2009.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Same Vesty England Profile". 28 May 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
- 1 2 Hewett, Chris (23 May 2009). "Sam Vesty: 'Dad told me no one likes players who don't tackle'". London: The Independent. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
- ↑ Vesty, Sam. "Baths budding rock stars". Living Rugby. Retrieved 2011. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Gallagher, Brendan (5 May 2009). "Sam Vesty goes from zero to hero at Leicester Tigers". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
- ↑ "Tigers fly-half Vesty joins Bath". BBC News. 7 April 2010.
- ↑ {{cite It has been reported that he will join Bath rugby club for the 2010 rugby season. news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/5345647/England-to-call-up-Leicesters-Sam-Vesty.html|title=England to call up Leicester's Sam Vesty|last=Mairs|first=Gavin|date=18 May 2009|publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=14 June 2009}}
- ↑ Sherrard, Gary (6 June 2009). "England debut caps the season for Vesty". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 14 June 2009.